Why Ottawa is back on the concert map for 2018

2018 is shaping up to be a busy year for concerts in the capital. Elton John is among the big name stars to book local dates. He'll be at Canadian Tire Centre on Sept. 28.Evan Agostini / Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Take a look at how the year is shaping up so far: Pop superstar Justin Timberlake, roots-rock legend Ry Cooder, modern rock chart-toppers the Foo Fighters, gen-X hero Beck and Wilco visionary Jeff Tweedy are just a few of the artists who have recently announced dates in the nation’s capital.

They’re among the latest additions to a calendar that’s filling in quickly. Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Santana, Rod Stewart and Elton John have already announced Canadian Tire Centre concerts for 2018, while rumours are swirling in anticipation of possible shows by Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles and maybe even Ozzy.

The TD Place arena is hopping, too, with next week’s appearance by Hedley on their Cageless tour (Feb. 20 with Shawn Hook and Neon Dreams) kicking off a spring roll that also brings us the Can-rock double bill of Our Lady Peace and Matthew Good on March 8, vintage rock tunesmiths Foreigner and Canadian counterparts Chilliwack on March 23, metal gods Judas Priest on March 25 and country nice-guy Johnny Reid on April 13.

Of course, the newly renovated National Arts Centre is bustling with musical activity these days, including a show by George Thorogood on April 24, plus there’s a steady stream of great shows headed to all the other theatres in town. Boogie blues-rockers the Sheepdogs play Bronson Centre on March 3, a few days before Dashboard Confessional’s March 7 show in the same room. Wilco’s Tweedy is coming to Algonquin Commons Theatre on April 1, while the pride of Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Tom Cochrane, performs March 22 at Centrepointe Theatre.

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And I haven’t even mentioned the clubs, from the increasingly popular 27 Club (located in the former Zaphod Beeblebrox location on York Street) to the ongoing lure of established spots like the Black Sheep Inn, Irene’s Pub, Rainbow Bistro, Mercury Lounge and the Brass Monkey, the suburban basement pool hall that played host to Uriah Heep last week and is stoked for Reverend Horton Heat on March 30 and two nights with Protest the Hero, April 20-21.

What’s more, as you’ve no doubt heard, RBC Bluesfest just announced a terrific lineup for this year’s festival, which runs July 5-15 at LeBreton Flats Park, featuring Foo Fighters, Bryan Adams, Beck, the Dave Matthews Band and dozens more. The ticket presale starts today.

So what’s behind this flurry of activity in the local concert scene? For starters, it’s a reflection of the vibrant live-music industry in North America. Although revenue continues to slide in the recorded music sector, the demand for live music has never been greater: Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, had a record year for ticket sales.

After all, the live-concert experience is one of the few things that’s impossible to download, and streaming actually seems to whet the appetite for live music.

“I think streaming has made music so much more accessible and made live concerts even more popular,” said Mark Monahan, Bluesfest’s executive director. “Nothing can substitute for going out and seeing a live show.”

Here in Ottawa, concert promoters took a back seat during last year’s Canada 150 celebrations, but are ready to ramp up the activity for 2018 and beyond.

“We didn’t take a lot of risks in the market last year because there were so many events, both with the municipal 2017 team and the federal events,” said Ken Craig, Live Nation Canada’s vice president, Eastern region. “As you know some years are definitely better than others. It looks like this is going to be a good one.”

He says we’re well equipped in terms of venues, with an array of options depending on the projected size of the audience. “For the size of our market, we’ve got a lot to choose from,” Craig said, pointing to the versatility of the Algonquin theatre, which can be set up as a general-admission venue, and the various configurations of Canadian Tire Centre.

He added that Live Nation still has plans to develop a west-end festival site at Wesley Clover Parks, where a concert by Shania Twain attracted 21,000 people in 2015. The promoter is also on the lookout for a major act for the TD Place stadium, where Guns N Roses performed to 24,000 fans last summer.

According to Craig, the best thing about the live music scene right now is that there’s something for everyone, a trend that Bluesfest has long embraced in booking a wildly diverse lineup that appeals to multiple generations.

“The thing I’m noticing with the shows we’re bringing in is it doesn’t matter if you’re 15 or 35 or 75, there’s something for everybody out there,” said Craig. “I think that has a lot to do with the fact the concert industry is on such a high: It’s covering such a wide demographic.”

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